Today,Jonathan Conly was sworn in as the new U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director for Pakistan. USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah presided over the ceremony and administered the oath in the presence of family, friends, colleagues, members of the Pakistani-American community and the Embassy of Pakistan’s Deputy Chief of Mission, Dr. Asad Majeed Khan. As Mission Director for Pakistan, Conly will be responsible for managing USAID’s second-largest assistance program with the objective of supporting the development of an economically vibrant, secure and stable Pakistan that promotes peace and security in South and Southwest Asia.

Innovative Competition Acts as Catalyst for Business Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At the second African Diaspora Marketplace (ADM II), 17 U.S.-based entrepreneurs were awarded matching grants to fund innovative business plans and promote economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. The grants will match ADM winners’ own funds to support growth of their businesses.

USAID Administrator Raj Shah visited Yemen June 19-21 and announced plans to provide up to $52 million dollars in additional assistance to Yemen, which would bring the total humanitarian and development assistance this year to $170 million dollars. On June 21st, Administrator Shah and U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein traveled to Zinjibar where they met with local government officials and humanitarian organizations to discuss the importance of delivering critical humanitarian assistance, restoring civilian authority and essential public services, and rebuilding war-torn infrastructure.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) holds its third annual Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (DRG) Forum in Washington, DC on June 21-22, convening this year at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will hold its third annual Democracy, Human Rights and Governance (DRG) Forum at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC June 21-22, 2012.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Raj Shah arrived in Sana&rsquo;a Tuesday night for his first visit to Yemen. Administrator Shah, accompanied by Mara Rudman, Assistant Administrator for the Middle East, will meet with President Hadi, Foreign Minister al-Qirbi, government counterparts, private sector and civil society leaders, international donors, and humanitarian and development officials to support the Government of Yemen and the Yemeni people during&nbsp; this time of transition.

USAID and The Western Union Company Host African Diaspora Marketplace II

From June 22-23, approximately 40 entrepreneurs will compete for an investment of up to $70,000 in their business at the African Diaspora Marketplace (ADM) II. The marketplace competition showcases promising and innovative ideas for businesses that can create employment and strengthen trade in emerging markets in sub-Saharan Africa. The program also supports U.S.-based African diaspora members in giving back to their home communities.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Donald Steinberg and other senior USAID officials will host a series of events at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio+20. The events will take place June 19-22 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The purpose of the series is to highlight progress being made promoting sustainable development around the world.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Ford Foundation, and Independent Television Service (ITVS) is announcing a Global Development Alliance (GDA), in partnership with CARE USA, to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment worldwide.

Saving Children through Behavior Change: Religions in Action

The call for innovative solutions to save the lives of mothers and newborns around the time of birth elicited more than 500 submissions from almost 60 countries. Today, the Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development Partners – U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Government of Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, and the U.K.’s Department for International Development (DFID) - announced that 65 finalists will advance to the final stage of competition at the DevelopmentXChange July 12th-14th.

Accelerating the use of cost‐effective mobile technologies to end preventable child deaths

Today the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the mHealth Alliance announced the creation of mPowering Frontline Health Workers, an innovative public‐private partnership designed to improve child health by accelerating the use of mobile technology by millions of health workers around the world. The mHealth Alliance, serving as the partnership secretariat, will coordinate and amplify the resources and expertise of ten founding members: USAID, UNICEF, Frontline Health Workers Coalition, Qualcomm, Vodafone, Intel, MDG Health Alliance, GlaxoSmithKline, Praekelt Foundation and Absolute Return for Kids. The partnership was announced at the Child Survival Call to Action, convened by the Governments of the United States, Ethiopia and India, and organized in close collaboration with UNICEF.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Geothermal Energy Association signed a MOU agreement today to develop geothermal resources in East Africa. At the annual meeting of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum, USAID’s Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa, Michael Curtis, and Karl Gawell, Executive Director for the U.S. Geothermal Energy Association said the region’s resources have the potential to address power shortages in countries along the Rift Valley.

Washington, D.C. – Today over 80 governments and a multitude of partners from the private sector, civil society, and faith-based organizations gather at the Child Survival Call to Action – a high-level forum convened by the governments of Ethiopia, India and the United States, in collaboration with UNICEF, to launch a sustained, global effort to save children’s lives.

Today, two private companies, the U.S. and Canadian governments, and multiple leading global health organizations have joined together to accelerate progress toward ending preventable child deaths from diarrhea and pneumonia in the highest burden countries.

Announced at the Child Survival Call to Action meeting convened by the Government of Ethiopia, India and the United States in close collaboration with UNICEF, the partnership embodied by the “Declaration on Scaling Up Treatment of Childhood Diarrhea and Pneumonia” seeks to unite governments, private sector partners, donors, and non-government organizations around saving over two million children’s lives every year.

Today, the U.S. and Panamanian governments are celebrating the scheduled September close out of the USAID office in Panama. Panama is joining Chile, Costa Rica, South Korea and Poland as countries that have successfully reached the point at which they can propel their own development without the need for significant U.S. assistance.

The Governments of the United States and Panama celebrated 50 years of collaboration and the upcoming closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) country office. Due to the Government of Panama’s strong economic growth and commitment to development, USAID assistance is no longer needed.

Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Citi announced a global partnership to broaden financial inclusion by fostering the rapid adoption of “mobile money” technology in developing countries. The announcement was made at USAID’s Frontiers in Development Forum at Georgetown University.

The United States and the Philippines announced a new partnership that will provide Filipinos easier access to financial services through the use of mobile phones. President Benigno Aquino III and U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah agreed to implement the Scaling Innovations in Mobile Money (SIMM) initiative in the Philippines.